The Future of Wisconsin's Waterways

Cheryl Nenn, Milwaukee Riverkeeper

Cheryl will describe long term trends relating to water quality, wildlife, and wildlife habitat along Milwaukee's rivers and Lake Michigan, and touch on likely future impacts from climate change and projected development patterns statewide. She will also explore what the future of our waterways could look like under a variety of scenarios that hinge on regional investment in sewage and stormwater infrastructure, including widespread implementation of green infrastructure to improve water quality and minimize flood risk.

Milwaukee: The Civil Rights Years and the Future of Milwaukee

Frank Schneiger, Strategic Planner and Political Scientist

Frank Schneiger, who presented What Will the World Look Like in 100 Years? last fall, returns to discuss changing racial perceptions. What is the white image int he black mind, and the black image in the white mind and how have these perceptions changed over time? He will also touch on the disastrous confluence of events: the white perception of a racial paradise, segregation, the Civil Rights Movement, "white backlash" and de-industrialization. Is Milwaukee different from other U.S. cities? Frank will also share possibilities for trust, peace and reconciliation.

The Future of Public Radio in a Digital World

Dr. Jack W. Mitchell, Wisconsin Public Radio Pioneer

Dr. Jack Mitchell will explore the future of public radio as mass media fragments into personal media. In today's digital world, traditional radio is taking as secondary role to digital broadcasting, streaming radio stations and podcasts. As these forms of mass communications continue to grow in popularity, Dr. Mitchell will also touch on the struggle for public radio to remain public, serving the community art large rather than individual tastes and interests.

The Future Role of the Coast Guard in the Great Lakes

CDR Dan T. Somma, USCG, Deputy Sector Commander, Lake Michigan

Get a glimpse into future planning for the Coast Guard who patrol the vast waters of the Great Lakes. CDR Somma will discuss future planning, including lake water levels, climate change, ice breaking, using unmanned aircraft, search and rescue transponder technologies, the rising popularity of personal watercraft, aging infrastructure, cyber threats, decline of fisheries, invasive species, the return of cross-lake cargo shipping on Lake Michigan and wind energy.